The Gallery

Posted : January 15, 2015

David Foster joins the celebrity panel judge of “Asia’s Got Talent.” Billed as the biggest talent competition in the world, Foster will sit alongside former Spice Girl Melanie C, Indonesian rock icon Anggun, and Taiwanese-American pop idol, Van Ness Wu when “Asia’s Got Talent” premieres in March on AXN. The show will feature some of the region’s most incredible performing artists as they compete to take home the coveted winning title.

“It’s an exciting privilege to join this wildly successful franchise which has discovered incredible artists all over the world,” said Foster. “Throughout my career—I’ve been lucky to discover some amazing young talent. I’m looking forward to taking a seat next to my fellow celebrity judges as we shine a spotlight on Asia’s rising young stars.”

David Foster is currently the chairman of Universal’s Verve Music Group and has been a musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer, and recording artist for more than four decades. For his illustrious work, Foster has won 16 GRAMMY® Awards, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and racked up three Oscar nominations for “Best Original Song.” He has also earned a reputation as a keen spotter of new talent, playing a key role in the discovery and career launches of Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Michael Bublé, the latter two he signed to his Warner Music imprint 143 Records. In addition, superstars like Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Rod Stewart, and Stevie Wonder have trusted him with their voices and to help them realize their musical dreams.

From thousands of applicants, the four judges must select Asia’s most jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, and breathtaking performances. Those who move on to the semi- finals will face an even more intimidating judge, the AXN audience at home who will ultimately determine who wins the first season of “Asia’s Got Talent.” Adding to the excitement, the semi-finals and finale will be held at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, with the winner awarded a contract to return and perform live at Asia’s leading entertainment.

“Asia’s Got Talent” is the 63rd version of “Got Talent”, which won the Guinness World Records title for being the world’s “Most Successful Reality TV Format” in 2014. The hit format is co-owned by FremantleMedia and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment.

Posted : December 24, 2014

Hey everyone,

I hope the season is treating you well and that you’ve had a chance to hear my latest holiday CD “Merry And Bright”, available now at Starbucks! This year I had the opportunity to introduce you to one of my favorite new bands, Dirty Loops, and we also released great new music from Bryan Adams,Sarah McLachlan,Barry Manilow and Smokey Robinson (to name a few). I look forward to more great music in 2015 starting with Diana Krall’s “Wallflower” due out on February 3rd, a debut release from Charles Perry, music from a sultry new artist that I’m working with, Brenna Whitaker, and an exciting Disney project featuring all of your favorite artists! Thank you for all of your support this year and stay tuned for some exciting news which I plan to share very soon…

Posted : October 28, 2014

Hey Everyone,

I don’t know why I haven’t had a Facebook chat before, but I’m really looking forward to having some one on one time with all of you. I’m excited to talk about anything you want to talk about tomorrow so join me at Noon PST on my Facebook page here.

Posted : October 9, 2014

Posted : August 3, 2014

My wife Yolanda and I are shocked and saddened by Michael’s untimely passing. His love of life and music were completely intertwined. Seven years ago, millions of viewers were captivated each week by his soulful performances on American Idol. Soon after, we became great personal friends and it was a distinct honor to share the stage with him on many musical occasions.

The passion and commitment he brought to every show never failed to move everyone in the audience. Another thing that impressed me was his vast knowledge of the music and legendary singers who came before him. He had a true reverence for their artistry and a passion to carry on in their traditions.

With Michael’s expressive voice and a million watt smile that could light up any room, it’s very difficult to imagine that voice is now silenced. Yolanda and I wish to convey our heartfelt prayers and deepest condolences to his closest friends and family. -David Foster

Posted : March 6, 2014

Hey everyone – I thought now would be a good time to check in and let you know what I’m up to. It’s the end of February and I’m working hard on Diana Krall’s new album [gonna be a little different but incredible!]. I’m almost finished with new music from Bryan Adams, still hanging with Stevie Wonder and hoping to get that album finished this year. Now I’m starting to make tentative plans with Lionel Richie and JLO…exciting!

On the Verve side, we have some incredible releases coming up including but not limited to, the 3 incredible swedes called Dirty Loops, the great Sarah McLachlan, and my homie Ruben Studdard bringing you to your knees with his love songs. We have more young talent like newcomers Brenna Whitaker and Charles Perry, so stay tuned! This is Verve’s year to bust out!

I am first and foremost a music lover just like all of you. Let’s keep the music we love alive. Music is what gets me up every morning and I’m sure most of you share that same passion.

To all the RHOBH fans I think my wife, Yolanda, continues to keep it classy and elevates the show while sharing her personal battle with Lyme Disease.

Our big blended family is doing well, with our children finding their own way on this planet.

Posted : November 6, 2013

Mary J. Blige will be the next artist featured in concert on HSN, celebrating the release of her first holiday album, “A Mary Christmas.” The broadcast will take place Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. ET at HSN’s St. Petersburg, Florida studio.

Joining Blige as a special guest will be fellow Grammy Award winner and Verve Music Group chairman David Foster, who produced “A Mary Christmas.” That evening he’ll double as music director for the live orchestra and choir that will accompany Blige.

Complementing the hour-long broadcast will be narrative from Blige about the meaning of Christmas and the making of the album, which marks the first collaboration between her and Foster. Featuring such holiday gems as “The Christmas Song,” “The First Noel” and “This Christmas,” the set also finds Blige pairing with Barbra Streisand (“When You Wish Upon a Star”) and Jessie J (“Do You Hear What I Hear”), among others. “A Mary Christmas” was released Oct. 15 through Matriarch/Verve.

Posted : September 17, 2013

A MARY CHRISTMAS IN STORES OCTOBER 15, 2013

Iconic Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist Mary J. Blige has teamed up with the best musical talents in the business. Blige, for Matriarch Records/Verve Records/Interscope Records has completed her first-ever holiday album titled, A Mary Christmas making it the first album collaboration between Blige and legendary producer and Chairman of The Verve Music Group, David Foster.

“Working with David Foster is a singers dream. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to make this soulful classic Christmas album with him. David’s music has touched so many lives and I’m so proud of what we’ve created and I believe my fans will love it as much as I do.” says Mary J. Blige.

A Mary Christmas features Blige’s soulful interpretation of classic holiday tunes including “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and “The Christmas Song.” Bligeis joined by a number of A-list guests, starting with Barbra Streisand, who duets with Blige on “When You Wish Upon A Star,” along with Jessie J on “Do You Hear What I Hear” The Clark Sisters join Blige on “The First Noel” and “Noche de Paz,” is a Spanish collaboration with Mark Anthony.

David Foster comments “There’s so many things that I find inspiring about Mary, but I guess it always comes back to the fact that she has no limits and no boundaries. She doesn’t think of herself as black or white, or yellow or red, or male or female. She just thinks of herself as a singer and she’s a great singer.”

Posted : August 9, 2013

Posted : July 26, 2013

Iconic Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actress and philanthropist Mary J. Blige will release her first-ever holiday album in October of 2013. The album is titled “A Mary Christmas,” and features her soulful interpretation of classic holiday tunes.

“A Mary Christmas” is the first collaboration between legendary producer and hit-maker David Foster and Blige for Matriarch Records/Verve Records/Interscope Records. Sixteen-time Grammy winner and Chairman of The Verve Music Group, Foster is the producer of multi-platinum Christmas albums by Michael Bublé, Rod Stewart, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban and Celine Dion.

Posted : July 25, 2013

“Music” seems like a fairly broad description of David Garrett’s new album, but the violin master encompasses such a wide variety of, um, music on the LP that the title turns out to be a perfect fit. Garrett spans centuries and genres, from Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” to Chopin’s “Nocturne.” The latter, featuring pianist Dave Foster, premieres today on Speakeasy.

Securing Foster’s contribution was a straightforward affair: he’s the chairman of Garrett’s record label, Verve, which will release “Music” on July 30.

“Since we both make our living by composing and arranging, I felt that working together on a classical piece would bring out our combined creativity,” Garrett told Speakeasy.

“As this piece was originally written for piano, I felt the need for the piano to still play a major part of this arrangement. David was generous enough to record the piano part. So this became more than a collaboration — it became a duet.”

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that David Foster will be honored with the 2,499th star on the world-famous Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, May 31, 2013. “David Foster is a master at writing music and he has written songs for some of the most famous entertainers in the world!” stated Leron Gubler, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. “We welcome this great artist to our Walk of Fame family.”

Gubler and guest speakers will help Foster unveil his Star in the Category of Recording at 1750 N. Vine in front of the iconic Capitol Records Building. The event will be live-streamed on www.walkoffame.com

Before he became one of the most successful record producers in history — creating albums that have collectively sold in the hundreds of millions — David Foster received a valuable piece of advice from legendary music impresario Quincy Jones. “He said to me, ‘If something isn’t exactly the way you think it should be, don’t put your name on it,’” Foster recalls. “His words of advice had a great impact on me, and since then I’ve always fought for my artistic vision. I don’t always win, but I know when an artist hires me, it’s my job to push them toward greatness, and to get something out of them they didn’t know was there. My personal motto has become, ‘compromise breeds mediocrity.’”

This philosophy has shaped the way Foster has approached everything in his more than four decades as a musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, producer and recording artist. It is the reason why superstars like Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart and Stevie Wonder have trusted him with their voices and to help them realize their musical dreams.

Indeed, few other songwriters and producers have had their fingerprints on more major moments in all of popular music. Foster has created hit songs and award-winning gold and platinum albums for a diverse array of artists including Earth, Wind & Fire, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Seal, Chaka Khan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Brandy, ’N Sync, Boz Scaggs and Gloria Estefan; propelled singers who have straddled both pop and classical styles like Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban into the mainstream; created culture-defining soundtracks for blockbuster films like The Bodyguard, Urban Cowboy and St. Elmo’s Fire; and crafted timeless holiday classics, including perennial best-sellers like Josh Groban’s Noel, Michael Bublé’s Christmas, Celine Dion’s These Are Special Times, Rod Stewart’s Merry Christmas Baby and Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas.

For his illustrious work, Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and racked up three Oscar nominations for “Best Original Song.” In June 2010, he was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame. He has also earned a reputation as a keen spotter of new talent, playing a key role in the discovery and career launches of Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and Michael Bublé, the later two he signed to his Warner Music imprint 143 Records. Bublé has called Foster “one of the most brilliant musical minds of our time.” Celine Dion says, “David hears things no other person hears,” while Josh Groban credits him with “single-handedly changing my life.” Says Foster, “I operate under the guiding principle that if I love something, millions of others will love it, too.”

In 2008 and 2011, Foster stepped out as performer in his own right as the host of “Foster & Friends” — two star-studded concert events in Las Vegas that celebrate the music from Foster’s unparalleled catalog. The shows were filmed for Great Performance on PBS and Foster’s Hit Man and The Hit Man Returns became PBS’ highest-rated pledge drive shows of the decade. He is also a household name as a performer throughout Asia where he tours annually.

In 2012 Foster entered a new phase in his career, becoming the chairman of Universal’s Verve Music Group. His mission, he says, is to turn the fabled jazz label (founded in 1956 and home to Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald and other jazz luminaires) into the premier label for singing legends and legends in the making. The label’s roster includes Andrea Bocelli, Diana Krall and Natalie Cole. Foster recently signed Grammy-winning artist Sarah McLachlan and R&B-soul great Smokey Robinson. Foster also has his eye on the next generation of talent, having signed Malaysian singer Yuna and Swedish YouTube sensations Dirty Loops, a virtuoso trio who blend jazz, rock, pop, and dance music into a unique hybrid all their own. “As a musician, artist, writer and producer, I’ve been on both sides of the glass in the studio,” Foster says. “I feel like I’ve been prepping for this new job for 40 years.”

Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Foster began studying piano at age four. As the story goes, his mother was dusting the family piano, hit one of the keys, and was shocked when David correctly called out, “That’s an E!”, thus discovering he had perfect pitch. The son of a maintenance yard superintendent and a homemaker, Foster has chronicled his life in the highly regarded, best-selling autobiography Hit Man. The book is filled with page-turning, eye-opening anecdotes — from Foster joining Chuck Berry’s band at age 16 to sitting in Paul McCartney’s kitchen talking to him about the day The Beatles broke up.

Foster has made charitable work his life’s other priority. Meeting with a young girl from his hometown who was awaiting a liver transplant had a profound impact and led him to create The David Foster Foundation in 1985. Its mission is to provide financial support to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants. In the past two decades, Foster has volunteered his time and talent to more than 400 charities, including the annual Muhammad Ali Celebrity Fight Night, The Andre Agassi Foundation and Carousel of Hope. Tapping into his vast Rolodex of friends and superstar artists, these events have raised millions of dollars for worthy causes. “My love of music has brought me many rewards, and I feel the need to give back to others less fortunate as often as possible,” Foster says.

Foster’s star will be located on Vine Street in front of the iconic Capitol Records building, adjacent to the stars of his musical heroes — John, Paul, George and Ringo — a thrill for the self-described “biggest Beatles fan on the planet.” The location is doubly meaningful as Capitol was the label that signed Foster’s band Skylark in 1971. Their hit “Wildflower” became a Top 10 hit and launched Foster on his unending road to success.

Reflecting upon receiving a star on the Walk of Fame, Foster says, “One hundred years from now, my great-grandchildren will go, ‘Hey, there’s my great-grandpa,’ and having a star next to The Beatles … outside the building where I first got signed … that’s perfect.”

For more information and to view who shares a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visit www.walkoffame.com

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an internationally-recognized Hollywood icon. With approximately 24 star ceremonies annually broadcast around the world, the constant reinforcement provided to the public has made the Walk of Fame a top visitor attraction. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce continues to add stars to the Walk of Fame as the representative of the City of Los Angeles. The Walk of Fame is a tribute to all of those who worked diligently to develop the concept and to maintain this world-class tourist attraction. The Walk of Fame is open to the public. No paid admission or assigned seating at star ceremonies.It is understood that the cost of installing a star on the Walk of Fame upon approval is $30,000 and the sponsor of the nominee accepts the responsibility for arranging for payment to the Hollywood Historic Trust, a 501(c)3 charitable foundation. The funds are used to pay for the creation/installation of the star and ceremony, as well as maintenance of the Walk of Fame.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Sign are registered trademarks of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Become a David Foster “FozFan” and you could win a signed photo + other prizes!

Posted : March 1, 2013

Andrea Bocelli, the international superstar tenorreturns to Great Performances once again to delight fans with Andrea Bocelli: Love in Portofino, a new concert special in which he puts classical music aside for an evening of international favorites inspired by the breathtaking coastal setting of Portofino, Italy.
The Italian fishing village and upmarket resort is noted for its picturesque harbor and frequent celebrity visitors, as demonstrated by a kaleidoscopic photo montage featuring screen legends Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Eddie Fisher, Elizabeth Taylor, and current personalities ranging from Denzel Washington to Ellen DeGeneres.
With 16-time Grammy-winner David Foster as both music director and keyboard accompanist, Bocelli is also joined by trumpeter Chris Botti. Under the stars, beside the shimmering harbor waters, and with a rapt audience including Paul Anka, Sir Michael Caine, and Italian actress Ornella Muti, Bocelli performs some of the world’s most famous love songs, including “Senza Fine,” “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás,” “Bésame Mucho,” “Champagne,” “Love Me Tender,” and in duet with the late, legendary Edith Piaf, “La Vie en Rose,” while his real-life love Veronica Berti looks on adoringly. Bocelli sings in six languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Neapolitan). The sensual sound is rounded out by Cuban, Brazilian, and Portuguese rhythms.

Andrea Bocelli: Love in Portofino airs on Great Performances in March on PBS.(Check local listings.) (In New York, THIRTEEN will premiere the special Sunday, March 3 at 9 p.m.)

Andrea Bocelli: Love in Portofino is, in essence, a sequel to his earlier Great Performancesspecial, Amore. As with that concert, which featured timeless masterworks, the latest includes several beloved classics such as “Love Me Tender,” “Il Nostro Incontro” (the theme from Cinema Paradiso), “Sara Settembre,” (better known to English-speaking audiences as Neil Diamond’s “September Morn,” and translated into Italian by Bocelli himself), and “La mia via” (“My Way”), with the composer sitting harborside.
Since Great Performances introduced American television audiences to Bocelli with 1997′sRomanza concert, Bocelli has been featured in a notable series of Great Performancesspecials,including Sacred Arias, Amore, Vivere, My Christmas and American Dream, his spectacular “Statue of Liberty” concert from New Jersey’s Liberty State Park.Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park aired in December 2011. He wasaccompanied by the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of music director Alan Gilbert, the spectacular event being Bocelli’s special gift to New York City.

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. For 50 years, THIRTEEN has been making the most of the rich resources and passionate people of New York and the world, reaching millions of people with on-air and online programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites students of all ages to have fun while learning.
The musical program at press time is set to include:

Il Nostro Incontro (theme from “Cinema Paradiso”) (with Chris Botti)

Senza Fine

Anema e Core (with Caroline Campbell)

Quizás, Quizás, Quizás (with Caroline Campbell)

A Mano A Mano

Perfidia

Champagne

Corcovado (with Brazilian singer Sandy)

Tristeza

La Vie En Rose (with excerpts performed by Edith Piaf)

Qualche stupido “ti amo” (Somethin’ Stupid) (with Veronica Berti)

Bésame Mucho

Love Me Tender

Sarà Settembre (September Morn)

When I Fall in Love (with Helene Fischer & Chris Botti)

Roma Nun Fà La Stupida Stasera (“Rome, Don’t Act Silly Tonight”)

Era Già Tutto Provisto

Love in Portofino (with Caroline Campbell)

My Way

The Ensemble Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Giacomo Loprieno.
On January 29, Verve Music Group will release the studio album, “Passione,” featuring the Mediterranean love songs featured on the special.

Andrea Bocelli: Love in Portofino is directed by David Horn.
For Great Performances, Mitch Owgang and Andrea Cotromano are producers; Bill Kabel is associate producer; Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn and Filippo Sugar are executive producers.

Posted : January 25, 2013

Tune in as David will be performing LIVE with Andrea Bocelli in celebration of their new album ‘PASSIONE’ starting this Sunday. New album available everywhere Tuesday, January 29th!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

PERFORMING LIVE ON:QVCQ Sessions Live at 5pm EST

QVC® is honored to bring you Andrea Bocelli Q Sessions Live. Tune in and experience Bocelli’s superb voice accompanied by 16-time Grammy award-winning producer David Foster, who produced his latest CD, Passione – PLUS special guest Natalie Cole. Don’t miss the opportunity to pre-order this new CD, featuring a selection of romantic love songs, before its release date on January 29. QVC® will also offer a special bonus CD featuring live versions of 6 tracks.

PERFORMING LIVE ON: THE VIEW11am EST|10am PST|CT on ABC

Posted : January 11, 2013

“Passione” is a Stunning Collection of Mediterranean Love Songs Featuring Duets with Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado and the late Edith Piaf; Album Reunites Bocelli with

Multiple Grammy-winning Producer David Foster

International superstar Andrea Bocelli will release his new studio album, “Passione” on January 29 on Sugar / Universal Music Group. Filled with romance and beauty, “Passione” is a lush collection of Mediterranean love songs featuring duets with global pop stars Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, and the late Edith Piaf. The album reunites Bocelli with 16-time Grammy Award-winning producer David Foster, who produced Bocelli’s 2006 release “Amore,” which sold more than 4.2 million copies.

“Passione” is in essence the second volume of “Amore,” with a “fil rouge” which ideally connects the albums. As with “Amore,” which featured timeless masterworks, “Passione” includes several beloved classics such as “Love Me Tender,” “Girl From Ipanema,” and “Sarà Settembre,” (better known to English-speaking audiences as Neil Diamond’s “September Morn”). Jennifer Lopez is featured on the soft and sensual track “Quizás Quizás Quizás” and Nelly Furtado joins Bocelli on “Corcovado.” The album also features a duet with the late French chanteuse Edith Piaf on the song “La Vie En Rose.”

On the album, Bocelli sings in six languages (Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Neapolitan) with his unmistakable voice, as Foster accompanies him on piano, along with Peruvian guitarist Ramon Stagnaro. The sensual sound is rounded out by Cuban, Brazilian, and Portuguese rhythms and a 63-piece orchestra recorded in London.

“Andrea continues to be my favorite singer of all time,” Foster declares. “I pride myself on working with great voices, but he transcends that. He’s a singer for all people, from the common man to the Pope.”

Posted : September 3, 2012

After two successful Asian tours David Foster and Friends is back in the region in November 2012. HITMAN David Foster and Friends will make its way to five Asian cities starting off with Singapore on 2nd and 3rd November, with their next stop being Bangkok, Thailand on 5th November, Jakarta, Indonesia for 7th and 9th November, followed by China and Japan. The new line-up of iconic artists for the first three cities include 10-time Grammy Award winners, ChakaKhan and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, young New Zealand classical crossover singing sensation Hayley Westenra and timeless favourite Paul Young. Introducing David’s latest music sensation Dirty Loops from Sweden! Catch them for the first time with David Foster and Friends at The Star PAC Grand Opening in Singapore.

Singapore will be the first city on this year’s Asian tour for the man behind classic hits like “The Prayer” and Chicago’s “You’re The Inspiration”. The concert tour, which has garnered rave reviews over the last three years, showcases Foster’s musical talent and performances from international artists of all genres. The maestro that has been praised by the likes of Michael Bublé, saying he is “one of the most brilliant musical minds of our time”, will bring forth his larger-than-lifepersonality and share his many decades of music making to guarantee a superb night of entertainment. David Foster together with his group of acclaimed Friends will be the first major international artists to take the main stage at The Star Performing Arts Centre (TheStar PAC), Singapore, featuring a state-of-the-art 5,000 seating concert venue. On 2nd and 3rd November, HITMAN David Foster and Friends will perform at this new and much anticipated addition to Singapore’s venue offerings. David Foster has garnered an impressive following in Asia and audiences will not be disappointed.

Highlights include:

Superstar Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, a 10-time Grammy Award winner and iconic pop legend, singer, producer and writer with hits like “When Can I See You Again”, “Everytime I Close My Eyes”, “For The Cool In You”, “Never Keeping Secrets”, “Whip Appeal” and his duet with Eric Clapton “Change The World”. The man, who has worked with numerous artists like Michael Jackson, Pink and more recently, Beyonce – co-writing her latest single “Best Thing I Never Had” – is said to be working on his new solo album in the studios.

Rock out with Chaka Khan with her spectacular stage presence and powerful vocals. Chaka has been a huge influence on generations of music artists ever since she burst into the scene in the 1970s. Her slew of hit singles like “Tell Me Something Good”, “Everlasting Love” and “Ain’t Nobody” has earned her an impressive 10 Grammy Awards throughout her musical career.

For classical-crossover lovers, be enchanted by New Zealander HayleyWestenra’s uplifting voice. The young vocal prodigy debuted on the music scene in 2003 at the tender age of 15 when she released her first album Pure, inspiring a renewed love for ageless classics like “River of Dreams” and “Wuthering Heights”. Westenra has since grown and matured in leaps and bounds, having worked with legendary film composer Ennio Morricone and his orchestra in Rome on her latest album Paradiso, which was released last year.

Representing the best of British soul and rock, PaulYoung joins the stellar lineup of Friends in this year’s concerts. Paul’s first solo album in 1983 included the infinitely memorable number one singles “Wherever I Lay My Hat” and “Come Back and Stay”. His second album “The Secret of Association” in 1987 and the hit “Every Time You Go Away” confirmed Paul’s superstar status and solidified his position as a timeless favourite who continues to enthral audiences worldwide.

Presenting the latest Swedish music sensation, DIRTY LOOPS, a young trio of fantastic musicians who are causing a stir all over the world. Millions of fans have discovered them online through their videos and recordings of masterfully-performed versions of hits from Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber. Discovered and nurtured by songwriter and manager Andreas Carlsson, and signed to the Verve Music Group worldwide by Chairman David Foster, DIRTY LOOPS are at work on their debut release for early 2013.